| 1. |
- Andersson, Annika, 1961-
(författare)
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Affärssystemsprojekt : konsekvenser av att vara sluten eller öppen för förändringar
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Affärssystemsprojekt är en väsentlig företeelse i organisationer. Allt ifrån små till större nationella och internationella företag har ett affärssystem som stöd för sina affärsprocesser. Införande och byte av affärssystem betraktas inom affärsvärlden som en av de mest krävande och riskfyllda förändringarna ett företag kan genomföra. Att studera affärssystemsprojekt är av intresse ur ett organisationsperspektiv eftersom resultatet får långvariga konsekvenser för organisationen. Interorganisatoriska affärssystemsprojekt består dessutom av parter från två organisationer, vilka har skilda typer av kompetenser och roller. I ett affärssystemsprojekt är begrepp som projektmål, tidsdimension, och interorganisatoriska team av vikt att diskutera. Kommunikation, funktionen som översättare mellan parterna och ledarnas delaktighet för att integrera informationsstrategier och affärsstrategier är, enligt tidigare forskning inom både informationssystems och projektforskning, av vikt att diskutera.Det finns olika synsätt på förändring och sambanden som råder vid genomförandet av affärssystemprojekt. Det ena är att projektdeltagarna bör vara slutna för förändring och det andra är att de bör vara öppna för förändring av projektmål, tid och team beroende på den kunskap som utvecklas. Studier som fokuserar på konsekvenser för organisationer av det ena eller andra synsättet är däremot begränsade. Studiens övergripande problem är att studera vilka konsekvenser det kan få för leverantörs respektive beställarorganisationerna om parterna är slutna respektive öppna för förändring.Avhandlingen avser att bidra till både näringsliv och affärssystemsforskningen genom att beskriva konsekvenser för leverantörs och beställarorganisationer av om parterna är slutna eller öppna för förändringar inom affärssystemsprojekt.Multipla och longitudinella fallstudier har genomförts för att uppmärksamma organisatoriska konsekvenser över tid. Studien har genomförts indelad i tre faser (1) en retrospektiv fas, (2) en observationsfas och (3) en longitudinell fas. Datainsamlingsmetoder som använts är intervjuer, observationer och dokumentgranskning för att beskriva konsekvenser för både leverantörs och beställarorganisationer som genomför affärssystemsprojekt.Resultaten visar att en öppenhet och en slutenhet för förändringar av projektmål, tid och team fick konsekvenser för de båda organisationerna. När båda parter var slutna för förändring blev det svårt att använda kunskap inom projekten. Leverantören identifierade strategiska lärandeprojekt innan de beslutade sig för att vara öppna för förändring. När beställarna var öppna för förändring och leverantören sluten för förändring genomförde beställarna lärande och förändringsprojekt utanför projekten och de gemensamma projekten sekventiellt. När båda parter var öppna för förändringar blev konsekvenserna varken system eller organisationsutveckling, vilket hade kunnat förväntas. Istället ledde det till kommunikationsbarriärer.I denna sammanläggningsavhandling sammanställs och beskrivs resultaten från studien av affärsystemsprojekt via fyra publicerade artiklar.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Annika, 1961-, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges in project management : Grabbing the elephant
- 2007
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Ingår i: Projects & Profits. ; 7:12, s. 33-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Projects and project management tend to have special meanings to the individuals involved in a specific line of research. This article reports on some topics covered in an informal Swedish network devoted to study project management. Ten topics are selected for discussion that fall into three broad categories—projects as practice, productivity in projects and education in a PM curriculum.
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| 3. |
- Aronsson, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Where Should the Elderly Live and Who Should Pay for their Care? A Study in Demographics and Geographical Economics
- 2007
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is a rich literature analyzing the problems that will arise as the share of elderly and retired in the population increases in the near future. However, the locational decisions among the elderly as well as their implications in terms of taxes/transfers and of allocation of responsibilities for elderly care between the federal and local levels have not received much attention. In this paper we aim at investigating these issues. For this purpose we explore a model where there is a big city and a set of small villages, and where congestion effects and agglomeration forces are at work at the level of the big city. We also assume that the population is divided between two groups of agents, workers and retired, which differ with respect to the degree of mobility. In the first part of the paper we study and characterize the inefficiencies that arise because of individuals’ free location choice in the context of a unitary government. In the second part of the paper we consider a fiscal federalism structure and we investigate the suitable instruments that are needed in order to decentralize the optimal allocation obtained under full centralization.
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| 4. |
- Aubry, Monique, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying forces driving PMO changes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Project Management Journal. - : Wiley. - 8756-9728 .- 1938-9507. ; 41:4, s. 30-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Project management offices (PMOs) are dynamic organizational entities, frequently in transition from one charter and structure to the next. Within this article, we present empirical results on the nature and reasons for this transition. The article reports the second of a series of studies aimed at understanding the dynamics of PMOs. It addresses the mistaken paradigm that PMOs change because characteristics or functions in an existing PMO are wrong and require a new PMO charter or structure that can last for a long time. Instead of that, the article proposes a process view on the transformation of the PMO as being triggered by conditions within the external and/or internal context and producing outcomes in terms of impacts from the transformation. A global web-based questionnaire on PMO transitions in structure and charter yielded 184 responses. Factor analysis and correlation analyses revealed that the transition of a PMO from one configuration to the next is not a question of being right or wrong. PMOs in transition can rather be understood as a multilevel dynamic process anchored in a specific organizational context change. From the academic viewpoint, the authors believe that this research filled a large gap in the understanding of the reasons for and nature of PMOs to transition.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Aubry, Monique, et al.
(författare)
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Project management offices in transition
- 2011
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Ingår i: Project perspectives. - Nijkerk : IPMA. - 1455-4178. ; 33:1, s. 48-53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents empirical results from a research on Project Management Offices (PMO) in transition. This research adopted a process view of PMOs in transition. Descriptive data from 17 case studies was primarily obtained through interviews and analyzed using qualitaive text analysis methods. Thirty-fi ve factors of change have been grouped in ix categories forming a typology of drivers of PMO change. The major contribution of this research is to gain a better understanding of the dynamic evolution of PMOs. For researchers, these findings contribute to the project management theoretical development within the field of organizational change. For practitioners, it challenges the paradigm of considering the PMO change as a sign of failure.
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| 7. |
- Aubry, Monique, et al.
(författare)
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Project management offices in transition
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 28:8, s. 766-778
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents empirical results from a research on Project Management Offices (PMO) in transition. While PMOs are now a prominentfeature of organizational project management, the underlying logic that leads to their implementation or renewal is still not understood. Thisresearch adopted a process view of PMOs in transition. Descriptive data from 17 case studies was primarily obtained through interviews andanalyzed using qualitative text analysis methods. Thirty-five factors of change have been grouped in six categories forming a typology of driversof PMO change. In addition, three patterns of PMO change are presented. The major contribution of this research is to gain a better understandingof the dynamic evolution of PMOs. For researchers, these findings contribute to the project management theoretical development within the fieldof organizational change. For practitioners, it challenges the paradigm of considering the PMO change as a sign of failure.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Arbetsplatsrapport enkätundersökning vid Volvo Buss i Borås
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Consumer report (“avnämarrapport” in Swedish) for the company in question which is financed by a research foundation. It is a questionnaire survey, in this case, a so-called total survey of all blue and white-collar employees.
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| 11. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Arbetsrapport av genomförd enkätundersökning vid Volvo Lastvagnars fabrik i Umeå 3 juli 2004
- 2004
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Consumer report (“avnämarrapport” in Swedish) for the company in question which is financed by the company (through the Swedish Metall Workers Union, Metall) and partly also by a research foundation. It is a questionnaire survey, in this case, a so-called total survey of all blue-collar employees dealing with assembly work. In fact, it was a part of a more extensive so-called wage earner consultant report carried out at Logistics and Transportation (no private consultant initiative).
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| 12. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Assembly Systems and Work in the Swedish Automotive Industry
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nordic Lights. Work, Management, and Welfare in Scandinavia. - 1 85972 106 0 ; , s. 225-254
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- See web-link given på Chalmers Public Library (CPL). This is an edited chapter in a book (editor was Åke Sandberg from the Swedish Institute for work Life Research Stockholm (Arbetslivsinstitutet in Swedish). This publication enlightens the authors' research and development work regarding alternatives to line assembly. Comprising e.g. explaining of the different (real-life) assembly systems utilized in Sweden all through the passing years. In a more overarching way, it criticizes the way the insights and experiences gained by such (more or less socio-technically advanced assembly system designs practised (a vast of misunderstandings and rumours are obviously at hand today. To some extent is thereby this actually a refined summarization of some of our earlier scientific contributions (see some of the other publications registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL).
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| 13. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Attitudes of Blue-Collar Employes Towards Work with Regard to Work and Work Conditions Coupled to Production System Designs
- 2010
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The two authors have in this article manuscript (preprint not yet completed due to the retirement of one of the authors), which has not yet been published, gathered some experiences and insights dealing with a special sort of questionnaires surveys concerning among other things work and work environment matters. It covers a number of questionnaire surveys (nine) conducted within the automotive and manufactory industry during more than a decade. They are in many respects unique since they are all so-called total surveys (embracing all blue-collar employees, but two of the latest ones also includes all of the white-collar employees, i.e. at the Volvo Buss Company located in Borås and at the Atlet Company for truck manufacturing located in Mölnlycke (see the other so-called workplace reports, i.e. “arbetsplatsrapporter” in Swedish, registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL). They are unique due to at least two facts. At first, as has already been stated, (1) they are all embracing so-called total surveys (making statistical treatments much easier). Secondly, (2) they are all including complementary data-collections, which in turn has allowed the authors to design particular questions suited for each questionnaire form regarding were and with what the respondent is working (each sole questionnaire form have to suit each single production system design (as well as, rather naturally, these forms must also be understandable, i.e. each and every questionnaire form has been carefully prototyped by the authors). I the latter case, the authors have tried to grasp the function of each and every production system. This have been based on our own constructions of so-called schematic layouts (i.e. explaining who the production system in question functions in practice by means illustrating e.g. buffer, product flows, operators and workgroups position etc.) (these layouts are something else than more geographical-orientated layouts with building walls, ports, positions of aisles and machines, etc.). These schematic layouts are partly based on, as well as substantiated by, our own data collection of company information, interviews, study visits etc. In conclusion, the authors’ method to carry out questionnaire surveys, even though being more labour intensive for the researchers, have some merits. Like the provides far better possibilities to prospect the questionnaire data, especially so in comparison to the common ways to conduct the yearly so-called co-worker questionnaire surveys in Sweden (in fact, such initiatives are in many respect a waste of resources). This particular way (or specific scientific method) open up potentials to construct new so-called analytical categories, which in turns allows others (as well as us) to carry out longitudinal studied for the same case (please remember, the yearly co-worker questionnaire surveys just mentioned). Or to conduct meta-analyses of several different cases, each with its own distinctive characteristics) (like the e.g. unique production system design, workgroup features etc.,). All these matters are treated more in-depth in this manuscript (as well as also in some of the authors’ other publications registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL). A comment (in order to be explicit): Note that by means of this specific method to organize questionnaire surveys (including complementary data collection) it is feasible to couple (softer) questionnaire data to (harder) technical data like operators perception of work and work conditions to parameters like product flow patterns and buffer functions and positions (see the authours' other publications).
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| 14. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Revising the Present Administrative Codification of Organisations at Hand Within Four Hospitals in Sweden. Empirical evidence regarding some research questions in relation our earlier research and development work within the automobile and manufacturing industry
- 2016
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The two authors have in this article (preprint not yet completed due to the retirement of one of the authors) gathered some experiences and insights dealing with so-called co-worker's questionnaires surveys concerning work and work environment matters, as have been and still are practised within e.g. all Swedish public hospital (as well as also within some other private and public sectors). This understanding is brought forward to substantiate some deductions on how such questionnaire surveys ought to be organised to make them more valuable for practitioners as well as for scientists (some examples from the author's world are confirming this argumentation). Particular so about research results gained from work within Skaraborgs Sjukhus, i.e. the four hospitals that are located in Falköping, Lidköping, Mariestad and Skövde with approximate 4 500 employees. To exemplify, his particular research and development work gradually, more or less, forced us to scrutinise the organisation of these four hospitals in some specific ways. Such scrutinising was inescapable necessary for us. Thereby are this article replicating on the authors' experiences to organise such questionnaire surveys within both the automobile and health-care sectors which in turn have lead us to suggest how some particular aspects on the four hospitals ought to be organised. This while we are focusing on the some of the administrative codification and routines. In fact, a far more rational way to organise the operations (by no means, yet not fully recognised by the practitioners involved) will thereby be possible to implement in practice (to a delimited extent has the already been carried out) For example, annoying for us was the lack of a so-called consistent semantic network (the denotations found in various administrative information systems used were featuring several inconsistencies like abbreviations, shortenings, synonyms etc.) (such facts became obvious for us really ought to be remedied). This fact was proved and further substantiated by our practices (all-pervading analyse approach) of combine data-collection and data-analyses approach, i.e. cross-reference procedures by computer technique and various manual efforts like re-configuration of customised print-outs on paper, which were cut up and reorganised manually by e.g. glue and scissors. However, some constructive remedies are also illustrated in this article. A comment (in order to be explicit): Note that by means of this specific method to organize questionnaire surveys (including complementary data collection) it is feasible to couple (softer) questionnaire data to (harder) technical data (i.e. the operators perception of work and work conditions to parameters like product flow patterns and buffer functions and positions) (see e.g. other publications registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL).
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| 15. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Statistiska analyser av enkätinformation från nio olika enkätundersökningar inom svensk fordons- och tillverkningsindustri
- 2014
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Detta manuskript (ett s k "preprint" som ej har blivit publicerad på grund av att en av författarna har blivit pensionerad) redovisar resultat från de två författarnas enkätundersökningar genomförda under mer än ett årtionde inom svensk fordons- och tillverkningsindustri (se exempelvis de s k arbetsplatsrapporterna som finns registrerade i Chalmers Public Library CPL). Dessa enkätundersökningar har varit speciella såtillvida att det (1) dels rör sig om totalundersökningar samt där det (2) dels har funnits en (eller ibland flera frågor) var och med vad den svarande arbetar (enkätundersökningar, vilka vissa Volvo fall byggde på ett långvarigt samarbete med flera lokala fackföreningar, Metallindustriarbetarförbundet, Metall). Det senare särtecknet har medfört att vi har varit tvungna att förstå verkligheten på sätt som är ovanliga i enkät-sammanhang. Vad som (verkligen) sker på verkstadsgolvet har varit minst lika väsentligt som exempelvis enkätstudiens organisation. Samtliga enkätundersökningar involverat samtliga kollektivanställda, medan två enkätundersökningar (inom Volvos Buss AB:s fabrik i Borås och Atlet AB:s fabrik i Mölnlycke) tillika berör samtliga tjänstemän). Centralt för den eftersträvade förståelsen av verkligheten har s k schematiska layouter varit. Det vill säga, av oss speciellt konstruerade layouter som åskådliggör hur respektive produktionssystem fungerar (d v s de klargör ej enbart hur de ser rent fysiskt, såsom är fallet med exempelvis byggnadsritningar med maskinuppställningar etc.). De speciella frågorna i varje enskilt enkätformulär erfordrar för varje fall anpassade frågor. Således har kompletterande datainsamlingar gjorts med hjälp av bl a insamling av företagsinformation, intervjuer och studiebesök. Flera (interaktiva) revisioner av dessa layouter har dessutom varit helt nödvändiga. Det samma gäller utprovning (prototypande) av själva enkätformuläret. Kontroll av framför allt förståelse och tidsåtgång, samt säkerställandet av frågornas stringens, är en helt oundviklig nödvändighet. Detta är fallet eftersom flera hundra (ibland över tusen) stycken kollektivanställda, med företagens goda minne, faktiskt har avsatt arbetstid för själva ifyllandet (som utomstående är vi naturligtvis tacksamma för den hjälp vi har fått). Avslutningsvis, dessa sätt (eller bättre formulerat, denna speciella metod som författarna har utvecklat) att organisera enkätundersökningar ger helt nya möjligheter att prospektera enkät- och bearbetade företagsdata. Såsom att det är möjligt att i efterhand (flera år efter) utnyttja sparad enkätdata till att belysa helt nya aspekter. Det är även möjligt att skapa s k analytiska kategorier för ett visst analysändamål (innebärande specifika möjligheter att jämföra liknande arbeten i helt olika fabriker). Dessutom går det snabbare att ge feedback från enskilda enkätundersökningar på sätt som i många fall idag knappt kan göras med s k medarbetarenkäter (där stora resurser idag uppoffras på dessa, då med förhållandevis rätt lågt utbyte). Alltså, såsom behandlas i manuskriptet, generaliteten av en eller flera enkätundersökningar ökar väsentlig även om merarbetet är väsentligt mer omfattande). En kommentar (för att vara tydlig): Genom vår utvecklade (och utprovade) metod att genomföra enkätundersökningar (inklusive kompletterande datainsamlingar) blir del således möjlig att koppla samman (1) (mjuka data) berörande de svarandes uppfattning om arbete och arbetsförhållandes med (2) (hårda data) om produktionssystemets utformning, såsom var i materialflödena de svarande arbetar (se författarnas övriga publikationer).
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| 16. |
- Blomquist, Bo, 1958, et al.
(författare)
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Utvärdering av Volvo Lastvagnars monteringsfabrik för hyttillverkning i Umeå
- 2005
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Consumer report (“avnämarrapport” in Swedish) for the company in question which is financed by the company (through the Swedish Metall Workers Union, Metall) and partly also by a research foundation. It is a matter of combined data collection (collections of company data, interviews, questionnaire surveys, video-registration, etc.). In this case, was e.g. two so-called total surveys of all blue-collar employees dealing with assembly work. The problem area (or research question) was focused on a conversion back to assembly line work. Before was an early sort of, less sociotechnically advanced, parallel workgroups practiced) not the far more sociotechnically advanced alternatives to assembly line work that was at hand at the defunct Volvo Automobile AB:s plant located in Uddevalla or the so-called assembly docks located in the Volvo Truck AB:s plant in Tuve (i.e. the sole two real-life assembly system of this very calibre). This was actually wage owner consultant initiative performed with Logistic and Transportation as the sole base (no private consulting). It was a matter of combined data collection (collections of company data, interviews, questionnaire surveys, video-registration, etc. among other this thereby prospection many of our scientific methods developed during several decades. For example, involving two so-called total surveys of all blue-collar employees dealing with assembly work. The authors and their other colleagues were thus, in many respects, using a wide repertoire of scientific methods.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Development of Virtual Teams and Learning Communities
- 2005
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Ingår i: Recent Research Developments in Learning Technologies. - Badajos, Spain : Formatex Research Center. ; , s. 1184-1189
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Students of an Internet based course in project management worked during a 20 week period in teams of 4-6 persons. The course consisted of Swedish students living in Sweden or abroad which made it impossible for many of the teams to have any face-to-face interaction. During the course the teams were assigned to a series of discussion questions and cases. The study, based on a survey of 287 students who participated in the course, examined their experience of teamwork and showed that many of the classical team development issues also evolve in a virtual team. Furthermore, the study showed that students considered their teamwork was efficient and that being able to communicate, discuss and share experiences was essential for developing a positive learning community.
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| 22. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Development of virtual teams and learning communities
- 2006
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Ingår i: Collaborating virtually. - Punjagutta, India : Icfai University Press. - 8131403084 ; , s. 121-131
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Students of an Internet based course in project management worked during a 20 week period worked in teams of 4-6 persons. The course consisted of Swedish students living in Sweden or abroad, which made it impossible for many of the teams to have any face-to-face interaction. During the course, the teams were assigned a series of discussion questions and cases. The study, based on a survey of 287 students who participated in the course, examined their experience of teamwork and showed that many of the classical team development issues also evolve in a virtual team. Furthermore, the study showed that students considered their teamwork was efficient and that being able to communicate, discuss and share experiences was essential for developing a positive learning community.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Ekonomisk styrning för förändring : en studie av ekonomiska styrinitiativ i hälso- och sjukvården
- 1998
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since the end of the 1980’s Swedish county council managers has been preoccupied with planning and implementing organisational change in order to alleviate the financial problems and to create more efficient production systems. Many of these efforts to change have implied changing the systems for management accounting and control, changes that have been inspired both by market-oriented ideologies and by the governance principles of large corporations in the private sector. Literature on management accounting and control indicates however, that management is unintentionally contributing to the creation of organisational inertia and conservatism. This contradiction is formulated as a change dilemma; ”How can managerial principles that make organizations subject to bureaucratization and inertia be used as important strategies for organizational change?” The purpose of the study is thus to analyze the use of management control systems as organizational change strategies in health care, employing a change perspective on management control.When used as a change strategy, management accounting and control becomes manifest as management control initiatives. Actors handle these control inititatives by organising themselves around the issue at hand. This organising process ends or fades away when there are no need for further attention to the control initiative.Empirical studies were made in the councils of Västerbotten, Sörmland and Uppsala counties. Management control initiatives investigated were performance-related pay, quality improvement work, systematic planning procedures, provider/purchaser-models, downsizing projects and profit center systems.The systems for management accounting and control appeared to structure health care organisations in terms of spatial structuring temporal structuring and actor categorization. The management control initiatives introduced were structured as extraordinary organising processes delimited in terms of space, time and involved actors. Actors in the administrative norm system participated with the intention to change the organisation, while those in the medical norm system aimed at just handling the initiative.Management control initiatives can therefore be seen as passing opportunities to change, passing in the sense that the organising processes are temporary by nature, opportunities in the sense that temporary re-coupling can be used to achieve long-term change. One such opportunity is the formulation of control initiatives; the possibility of using simple and standardized change strategies can be useful, but only if they are also linked to the medical norm system. A second opportunity is the temporary organising processes; if the project form of organising change can also be conveyed to the medical norm system, management control initiatives could result in short, intense courses of events that actually change things. The third opportunity s the recurrent cyc ica pro perties of management accounting and control systems, enabling recurrent activities around the same themes, thereby keeping them alive.
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| 25. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, Professor, et al.
(författare)
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Feeling good, being good and looking good : motivations for, and benefits from, project management certification
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 36:3, s. 498-511
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Project management (PM) is one of many occupations following a path to professionalization that includes voluntary certification. It has been said that certification, and especially voluntary certification, can be seen as an approach to being good by improving our competence in the profession, or a means to looking good, essentially signaling the capabilities of the holder. Based on self-determination theory, we contribute to this discussion the notion of feeling good whereby certification provides a way to challenge one’s capabilities, provide self-actualization, and a sense of worth. Using two sets of survey responses, collected 10 years apart (2004 and 2014), we assess whether there are differences in the demographics of those seeking voluntary project management certification, and the motivations (expected benefits), and realized benefits associated with this certification, at these two points in time. Demographically, the people with certification and those not pursuing certification did not exhibit any significant differences in either time period. Analyses indicate that feeling good and being good are the main motivators but participants pursuing certification in 2014 reported lower levels of motivations and received more benefit than those in 2004. Comparing responses as to why professionals pursue voluntary PM certification across a decade span, gives us an indication of how these perceptions may be changing with the increased popularity of the certification. We compare these findings to similar studies examining other volunteer certifications and conclude by discussing the potential impact of these changes from the perspective of the individuals seeking certification, the occupation, and certifying organizations.
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| 26. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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From issues to checkpoints and back :
- 2004
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Ingår i: Business Strategy and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 0964-4733 .- 1099-0836. ; 13:6, s. 363-373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 31. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Middle Managers in Program and Project Portfolio Management : Practices, Roles and Responsibilities
- 2006
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Bok (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing “projectization” of organizations has led to a greater reliance on program and project portfolio management, and middle managers are playing a central role in the management of multiple simultaneous projects. Experienced project managers understand the value of defining project roles and responsibilities, but what are middle managers’ roles and responsibilities in program and project portfolio management? What are the best practices of successful companies today?
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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On productivity in project organizations
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Managing Projects in Business/Emerald. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1753-8378 .- 1753-8386. ; 2:4, s. 591-598
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the underlying unit cost considerations in project conduct at the firm level and an established business unit concept is extended to multi-project organizations. The approach and background are described along with apparent implications. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology developed by Gold is extended to cover multi-project organizations. The adaptation of the productivity network is demonstrated using a hypothetical case. Findings – The focus of the paper is on demonstrating an approach. Generally, productivity in an organization is found not to be dictated by a single input, but by the multiplicative outcome of each together. In particular, the number of projects handled each year appears to be of strategic importance in productivity. Research limitations/implications – The paper is conceptual, so applicability depends upon the nature of the particular organization to which it is applied. Implications, of course, will depend upon the degree to which actual data match the model. Practical implications – The approach permits managers to get a handle on productivity in their organizations. It is particularly attractive insofar as it largely depends upon available accounting information for input. This paper seeks to fuel greater interest and debate by practitioners and project management academics about the topic. Originality/value – Although the paper is conceptual, the authors believe that it may among the first to quantitatively treat productivity in multi-project organizations. The approach can be used to understand the productivity as well as some elements of effectiveness of multi-project organizations.
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| 34. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Practices, Roles, and Responsibilities of Middle Managers in Program and Portfolio Management
- 2006
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Ingår i: Project Management Journal. - 8756-9728. ; 37:1, s. 52-66
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Practices for program and portfolio management, together with the associated roles and responsibilities of middle managers, were investigated. The results of the multi-method study show that high-performing organizations apply dedicated portfolio management processes and tools, plus use the associated roles of middle managers, to address the requirements stemming from the complexity of the organization's environment and the types of projects executed. This is not the case in low-performing organizations. The study takes a transaction costs economics perspective and develops a contingency model for program/portfolio management roles of middle managers. Managerial and theoretical implications are also discussed. This paper summarizes the highlights of research findings that can be found in the full report published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) (Blomquist & Müller, 2006).
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Project as practice : making project research matter
- 2006
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Ingår i: Proceedings of IRNOP VII project research conference. - Beijing : China Publishing House of Electronics Industry. - 712103252X ; , s. 540-549
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Project theory is not only an immature field of research, it is insubstantial when it comes to understanding what is really going on in projects. This paper contributes to making project research matter to the academic as well as the practitioner through the theoretical development of a project-as-practice approach, aligned with an ongoing debate in social science research. We outline the framework of project-as-practice and argue that there are two major challenges to the researcher: the relevance challenge and the pattern challenge. We suggest how these challenges can be met and give some examples of earlier studies that have done so. The practice approach is not a substitute to present theorizing but rather a complement that brings substance. Finally, underlying notions of the practice approach are outlined in order to have a fruitful future development of a project-as-practice approach that makes project theory matter!
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| 37. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Project-as-practice : in search of project management research that matters
- 2010
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Ingår i: Project Management Journal. - : SAGE Publications. - 8756-9728 .- 1938-9507. ; 41:1, s. 5-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on projects is not only an immaturefield of research, but it is also insubstantial whenit comes to understanding what occurs in projects.This article contributes to making projectmanagement research matter to the academic aswell as to the practitioner by developing a projectas-practice approach, in alignment with theongoing debate in social science research.The article outlines a framework and argues thatthere are two major challenges to the researcherand also suggests how these challenges can bemet. Underlying notions of the practice approachare outlined to ensure a development of theproject-as-practice approach that makes projectmanagement research matter!
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Project management self-efficacy as a predictor of project performance : Constructing and validating a domain-specific scale
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 34:8, s. 1417-1432
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measures of self-efficacy beliefs have been shown to be the best predictor of individual performance in many disciplines over 30 years. This makes measures of perceived self-efficacy a good indicator for those interested in hiring for, or improving specific skill sets. In project management, measuring the skill level of project managers is an important practical and academic question. Practically, hiring managers and program managers, needs an indicator of performance to help select the most appropriate project managers for each project. Academically, a common, established scale to measure project management self-efficacy would provide a tool for improving project management training and education, and increasing the comparability of research results across samples, industries and project results. This paper presents the construction and validation of a set of domain-specific, project management self-efficacy scales and provides evidence of its ability to predict project performance.
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| 40. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Project Marketing : Strategy, Tactics, Differentiation and Integration
- 2008
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Ingår i: Projects and Profits. ; 8:1, s. 37-42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There has been considerable interest in the management of projects, but little attention has been devoted to their marketing. This study was undertaken to ascertain the apparent strategy and tactics used by firms in a cross-section of situations. Observations suggest that the approach used was contingent upon the offering, not the type of market served. Necessarily, project managers used to get involved in marketing. Basically, the tendency was to use project managers in sales capacity where it seemed useful. They then might get operational responsibility when proposals were successful.
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| 41. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Project marketing in multi-project organizations: A comparison of IS/IT and engineering firms
- 2007
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Ingår i: Industrial Marketing Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0019-8501. ; 36:2, s. 206-218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An emerging trend suggests that a project marketing approach could, or should, be merged into project management. Consequently, an exploratory study has been made of the project marketing and management functions in four firms in two different industries and analyzed with a project marketing overlay. Contrasts were noted. The engineering firms actually described their marketing activity as a sales activity and the function tended to be differentiated from project management. The IS/IT firms, on the other hand, appeared to be particularly oriented toward establishing mutual understanding of customer needs and marketing was closely integrated with project management. Major differences are associated with the relative environments in which the firms work.
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| 42. |
- Blomquist, Tomas, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Projects - real, virtual or what?
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Managing Business in Projects. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1753-8378. ; 3:1, s. 10-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Purpose – At the heart of this paper is the question of how to describe the ongoing changes of project management (PM) and how to cultivate the understating of projects. In line with the theme of this issue, a non-traditional approach of presenting this paper is used with the aim of providing a lived experience view on projects. This helps pave the way for changed perceptions of many of the traditional ideas of projects and PM, implicitly demanding a need for rethinking the field. The purpose of this paper is to offer some of that rethinking and suggest how to research it. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is narrative and builds on exploratory storytelling which is common in the social sciences but quite non-traditional in the PM sphere. Findings – The paper explores the kind of arguments people might have when defending their perceptions of what a project is and should be. Practical implications – Traditional PM might benefit from being open to experiences from non-traditional areas of application, and equally important is that the reverse might apply. Originality/value – Rethinking PM and relating to social science areas is very much in the vogue presently. The authors wish to push that issue even further, and this paper illustrates one way to achieve a fruitful dialogue or a discussion in a scientifically based context.
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| 43. |
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Burström, Thommie, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Time managers in a platform project
- 2014
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Ingår i: Advancing research on projects and temporary organizations. - Koege : Copenhagen Business School Press. - 9788763002486 ; , s. 71-90
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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| 47. |
- Dehghanpour Farashah, Ali, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring employer attitude towards migrant workers : evidence from managers across Europe
- 2020
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Ingår i: Evidence-based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 2049-3983. ; 8:1, s. 18-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Migrants play an essential role in economic and societal outcomes of the host society, both as members of the workforce and as citizens. However, integration and finding employment after migration remain critical issues. The purpose of this paper is to employ an evidence-based quantitative approach to identify migrant workers’ most important qualifications from an employer perspective and to explore factors that influence employer perception of migrants.Design/methodology/approach: This study uses European Social Survey data that contain responses from managers in European countries in 2014 (n=2,828) and 2016 (n=3,014). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are used to analyse the data. Findings: For managers, migrants’ commitment to the host country’s way of life is more important than their job skills, educational level and language proficiency. The effects of managers’ individual characteristics, including demographics, expectancies and personal values, on their general attitude towards migrants are also quantified.Practical implications: The study’s outcomes can assist migrants to develop the qualifications most valued by employers, and allow policymakers to integrate the organizational perspective into policies and initiatives for integration of migrant labour.Originality/value: Through HR practices, organizations significantly affect migrants’ career outcomes. Yet research on migrant workers from an organizational and managerial perspective is limited. This study identifies migrant workers’ most important qualifications from an employer perspective. It also explores which individual characteristics most influence organizational decision-makers’ perception. Utilizing a cross-cultural and longitudinal data set provides a unique opportunity to generate generalizable findings.
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| 48. |
- Dehghanpour Farashah, Ali, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the value of project management certification in selection and recruiting
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Project Management. - : Elsevier. - 0263-7863 .- 1873-4634. ; 37:1, s. 14-26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For many years project management has been moving toward professionalization through voluntary certification. Simultaneously, recruiters increasingly use voluntary professional certification as a signal of applicant competencies and likely future performance, to increase the efficiency of the selection process. This practice increases the value of certification to holders and leads to the growth of certification. However, despite significant research into the value of voluntary certification in numerous occupations, results linking certification with performance are tentative at best. We contribute to the growing body of research exploring the performance signaling ability of certification by empirically examining the case of project management professional certification using survey responses from 452 (certified (370), and uncertified (82)) international project managers. Our findings provide some support for this recruitment and selection practice, not through a direct relationship between certification and performance but by showing that self-efficacy mediates the relationship. Certification also relates to higher levels of professionalism. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for recruiters, project management professionals, and professional associations.
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| 49. |
- Dehghanpour Farashah, Ali, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Organizational culture and cultural diversity : An explorative study of international skilled migrants in Swedish firms
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Global Mobility. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 2049-8799 .- 2049-8802. ; 9:2, s. 289-308
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThis paper empirically explores the types and extent of cultural diversity strategies in Sweden, a developed economy with many migrant workers. The role of organizational culture as the context and the association with diversity strategy and the selection of international skilled migrant workers is examined.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data are collected by surveying 249 Swedish large or medium-sized firms. Cluster analysis is used to explore the configuration of organizational culture, cultural diversity strategy, and selection and development criteria.FindingsWe identify five clusters of organizations. Organizational culture is the main contextual factor that influence the cultural diversity strategy and HR approaches for selecting skilled migrant workers. The profile of the clusters including organizational culture diversity strategies, the selection criteria, and firm demographics is presented. The empirical results indicate that organizational culture and demographics are associated with the choice of diversity strategy and, consequently, HR processes.Originality/valueThis study’s main focus is on intetrnational skilled migrants, which are among empirically less-studied areas in global mobility literature. Furthermore, until now more attention has been directed toward studying the consequences of diversity than to understanding the factors that influence choice of diversity strategies and practices. This study focuses on antecedents of diversity and attempts to understand the factors that influence adoption and implementation of different cultural diversity strategies.
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| 50. |
- Dehghanpour Farashah, Ali, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived employability of skilled migrants : a systematic review and future research agenda
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Human Resource Management. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0958-5192 .- 1466-4399.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This review examines the perceived employability of skilled migrants (SMs) through an analysis of 88 management and organisational research articles published over the 2009-2019 period. We find the extant literature characterised by context-specific studies featuring considerable variety in terms of levels of analysis, theory, and content. Using the notion of perceived employability, key themes in the literature are identified and presented in an integrative framework. The framework encompasses individual, organisational, occupational, and institutional components of the perceived employability of SMs, different forms of work transition and associated mediators (broadening strategies) and moderators(transition conditions). Proposing adoption of process thinking for future research, suggestions regarding the interaction of individual and contextual components of perceivedemployability and the mediation and moderation mechanisms in the process of work transition are outlined.
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